Jennifer Jane Barry - 25.7.89 - 10.10.05
Jenny Barry was Jenetta's third child of four (siblings Stuart, Neil and Catherine) and the first much anticipated and celebrated daughter after 2 boys.
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This picture of Jen as a flower girl was taken not long after she turned 2. Everyone was looking out for her in case she became overwhelmed. On this day Jen stepped into her role with so much confidence - we were so proud of her.
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Taken on holiday in 1994, Jen appeared to be mostly a happy child to other people.
Only in later years did she step forward and tell us differently. She talked of wanting to end her life from as early as 7 years old. |
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Jenny at the age of 6 with baby sister Catherine at Granny's 70th birthday celebration.
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In school uniform - Kenya - The Banda School, Nairobi - 1996.
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Family holiday at Diani Beach, south coast Mombasa. Jen is 9 in this picture and it was at this stage that she began to show worrying signs of not coping with various situations.
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A trip to Amboseli Game Reserve with friends
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One of the last pictures taken of all 4 children together - Neil far left, Catherine on Stuart's shoulders and Jen far right.
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With family dog Tena (Swahili for "yet another") ...
We had just arrived in Hilton, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa from Kenya to set up the children to attend South African schools. |
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First day of term - Neil Head Boy, Jenny's first term at High School and Catherine to a new school - 2002.
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Jen at 12 ! - as she hit puberty she began to look way older than her age. Jen's most favourite hobby was modelling and this picture was taken after a modelling competition. Jen was hiding a lot in this photo as she had just heard a few hours before that a fellow modelling student had died through suicide.
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Jen at 14 ... getting ready to go out and socialise.
So much of the time she believed that nobody really liked her and yet she was a much-loved friend to so many. |
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At 15, Jen was really battling. She had stepped out of mainstream school and was being home-schooled. Even after 2 rehab admissions, she talked about the inability to cope with life and its challenges.
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Christmas 2003 - we had travelled 5 hours to fetch Jenny that day from rehab. She had been given a night's pass to join us for Christmas, after having spent 6 weeks under 24-hour surveillance as a high suicide risk.
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Again taken at 15. Jen clowning around for this photo which enabled her to hide behind her beautiful smile "mask".
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Jenny on her 16th birthday - taken 2 weeks before she died. This day was fraught with angst. She fought having this photo taken, didn't want presents, didn't want a celebration and at one point took herself away to sit in the bushes of the sanctuary that we lived on.
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Jenny's memorial table - 14 October 2005
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The Final Farewell - November/December 2005
Sand Island Tiwi Reef |
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Last family holiday at Sand Island Tiwi - south coast Mombasa - before Jen died.
Jen had not wanted to go on this holiday but within a day she had kicked of her shoes, black clothes, heavy dark make up and began to look like her old self again. |
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Video taken in Hilton, KZN, South Africa 6 weeks before Jen died. I had taken her out for a milkshake to get her mind off all that was worrying her ... she talked about how that time of year always made her feel down.
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Sand Island, Tiwi, South Coast Mombasa
